Bike lockers for hire (at €95 p.a.) seems like a good idea – but sadly the cyclists are shunning the €12,000 facilities
By Maurice Garvey
BIKE lockers, installed by South Dublin County Council for over €12,000 to promote bike and ride facilities, are not having the desired uptake from commuters.
The bike lockers were installed in December at the Lucan Road near Woodies, as part of a National Transport Authority-funded N4 cycle scheme.
Individual lockers are for hire for €95 per year plus a €25 deposit, but it’s not the money that has created the lack of uptake, rather a lack of promotion, according to Sinn Féin councillor Danny O’Brien.
Cllr O’Brien asked for a report on the lockers at the recent Lucan ACM, and believes more could be done to promote the facility.
“It’s an awful shame – to invest a lot in it, and people are not using them,” said Cllr O’Brien.
“The fee is not an outrageous amount of money. The only problem is that the buses are usually full by the time they pass by there. There probably hasn’t been enough promotion on the bike lockers, but I’d like to see more advertising done on social media and other areas.”
Cllr O’Brien is open to the possibility of “moving” the lockers to another location if the uptake continues to be poor.
In response to Cllr O’Brien’s question, an SDCC spokesperson said: “There has been no uptake in the lockers to date except for some queries, but we are preparing to engage in an information campaign in conjunction with Bike Lockers.ie, who have been engaged by SDCC to provide and manage these lockers on our behalf.
“The purpose is not to take revenue, as the revenue is provided to the company as part of a management service level agreement for a period of 2 years. Individual lockers are for hire for €95 per year plus a €25 deposit. The lockers cost a total of €12,372.50 (excluding VAT) and are the property of SDCC.”
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